12S . ix. DEC. 3,1921.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 449 HENRY W. BUSH. Beckenham. MONTFORT FAMILY. Early in the j rise. Is this still done in country churches ? eighteenth century there were two Mont- ! Are there now any churches where the forts, or Mountfords, living at Kingswinford, churchwardens stand, salver in hand, at the Staffs Symon and Andrew. Symon Mont- doors of the church to receive the offerings of fort, who married Elizabeth Hodgetts, had the departing congregation, four children, viz., Elizabeth, bapt. 1712 ; Symon, bapt. 1714; Edward, bapt. 1715; and Mary, bapt. 1917. Symon was de- scended from Francis Mountfort of Kings- hurst Hall, and died in 1599. He was a direct descendant of Lord Simon de Montforb, Who was killed at the Battle of Evesham. Symon Mountfort lived at Ashwell Hall, KingF.winford, and was buried as Aldridge, son Symon died at Abergavenny, in the parish of Kinfare, intestate, and letters of admini- stration of his goods and personal estate _ . tr*f*r* A TfT'll" /~N i? -E.JJL.iii T on AV j_ _LV_I_H. v vj-ij.-* j-J^xiTj. j-* 9 JL^- j->- j A-*- j^*j.*-+-* were granted, in 1767, to William Green of QF ELY ._ When and whom did he ma rry ? Stourbridge, a^ creditor, _ on the renuncia- , Hig gon Charles ap p ea rs to have been " SPEAKING THROUGH ONE'S HAT." Where does this expression come from ? I was charged with the offence recently and it was implied that I was insincere in what I said. Years ago our fathers entering church would stand and place their hats before their faces, and were thei to be engaged in prayer a practi continued in Lutheran churches. Is this the origin ? HENRY W. BUSH. THE VERY REV. JOHN LAMB, D.D., DEAN tion of Mary Chassner, sister and only ^next | appointed rector of kin to the deceased. If, as seems to be [^1720. When a the case, Edward died young without issue, this branch of the Montfort family died out in the male line. Andrew Mountfort or Mountford, of Kingswinford, married Sarah Wood at Wombourne, Aug. 14, 1710, and had issue John, bapt. 1711; William, bapt. 1714; Andrew, bapt. 1716; Sarah, bapt. 1718; Mary, bapt. 1719; Jane, bapt. 1720/1; Richard, bapt. 1722 ; Matthias, bapt. 1723/4 ; Thomas, bapt. 1726 ; and Hannah, bapt. 1727. Can any reader of ' N. & Q.' say if Symon and Andrew were nearly related, or give the parentage 6f Andrew ? B, Mr DEELEY. appears of Kingston, Jamaica, When and where did he die ? G. F. R. B. DE LA PORTE FAMILY. In ' Notes by the Way ' in The Morning Post of Jan. 24, 1921, is the following : In 1788 the following will was proved : " I, David Davis, of Clapham, Surry, do give and bequeath to Mary Davis (his wife), daughter of Peter Delaport, the sum of 5s., which is sufficient to enable her to get drunk for the last time at my expense. Who was David Davis, and was this
- ' lady " related to Peter de la Porte, one of
the South Sea Directors in 1720 ; who by his will gave his residence, Burhill, Surrey (now the well-known Golf Club), to General Johnson ? Any particulars of Peter de la Porte' s history will be welcome. T. DISAPPEARING CHURCH CUSTOMS. When the Lord's Prayer, occurring in the morning's Lesson, was read, the congregation would PHILIP LE COQ was admitted to West- minster School in July, 1783. Particulars of his parentage and career are desired. G. F. R. B. AVERY ALDWORTH. The deed of gift (1622) of Alice Aldworth, of Drayton, Co. Berks, widow (of Robert?), to Edward Aldworth, ray sonne of Mestham, Go. Surrey, yeoman, was exhibited, 2 March, 1630, by Averin Aldworth, the natural son of the said deceased. (Archd. of Berks, Will Register M., fo. 216.) Administration d f b f n. of Andrew Bridges, Rector, of Nuratead, Kent, July 12, 1636, granted to Avery Aldwortb,of Camberwell, gent. (P.C.C., 1631.) Further particulars desired. A. E. ALDWORTH. Manor Farm Road, Salisbury. IRON BARS USED AS MONEY. In the history of this country were bars of iron ever used instead of money ? If so, at what age were they used and were they English or foreign ? Are not currency bars problematical rather than a fact ? Bar iron was taken to country smithies to be worked up, as everyone knows. Has not the idea of currency bars merely arisen from this ? COUNTRYMAN. " ' HEADS ' AS THE PIEMAN SAYS " (' Pick- wick Papers,' ch. xxii.). Can anyone say what this means ? What connexion is there between a pieman and " heads " ? T. B.
